Search intensifies for five trapped in giant Chile copper mine

RANCAGUA (AFP)

Rescue teams in Chile searched Friday for five miners trapped after a partial collapse triggered by a tremor that killed one colleague and halted operations at the world's largest underground copper mine.

At least 100 people were involved in the perilous search effort nearly 12 hours after the event was registered, said Andres Music, general manager of El Teniente mine in Rancagua, some 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of Santiago.

“So far, we have not been able to communicate with them. The tunnels are closed, they are collapsed,” he told reporters on Friday.

The miners had been working at a depth of more than 900 meters when the collapse happened. Their exact location has been pinpointed with specialised equipment.

“We will do everything that is humanly possible to rescue the five trapped workers,” Maximo Pacheco, the president of Chile’s state-owned mining company Codelco, told a press conference Friday afternoon.

“All of our experience, all of our knowledge, all of our energy, and all of our strength are dedicated to this cause and to see this through,” he added.

Mining minister Aurora Williams earlier announced the temporary cessation of activity at the mine, which began operating in the early 1900s and boasts more than 4,500 kilometers (some 2,800 miles) of underground tunnels.

The cave-in happened after a "seismic event" Thursday afternoon of which the origin -- natural or caused by drilling -- is not yet known, according to authorities.
The tremor registered a magnitude of 4.2.

Last year, El Teniente produced 356,000 metric tons (over 392,000 tons) of copper -- nearly seven percent of the total for Chile.

Chile is the world's largest copper producer, responsible for nearly a quarter of global supply with about 5.3 million metric tons (5.8 million tons) in 2024.

The metal is critical for wiring, motors and renewable energy generation.